We Rock Hard is the debut album by the English electronic group Freestylers. It was their most commercially successful release to date. AllMusic describes the album as a run through of the band members' back catalogue, but it still showcases the classic big beat and breakbeat electronica that would remain the band's trademark sound along with ragga and dub twists. The Guardian noted: "They've got tunes like the British breaks scene has never had tunes, which gives their superb productions a sweetness grievously lacking at the more ascetic end of breakbeat."
LOL imagine sitting through all the grimy 90s UK drum and bass shit in the original list, and thinking it needs more. 2/5.
Top comment said it. We did not need more shitty 90s British electronica. Also too fucking long. My personal rating: 1/5 My rating relative to the list: 1.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Absolutely fucking no.
I was a bit put off at first by the long run-time but I needn't have worried. I danced through the whole thing.
Very late 90s UK break beat fare, and enjoyable listen though as typically with this kind of thing I find the repetetiveness wears thin at length. Guest artists and some credible rapping kept it on the brighter side of that flaw for me.
Well, there was some breakin', some rappin', some breakin', some graffiti, some breakin', and then some Cylons! It has some very 80s throwback feels to it, and sometimes I really loved it!
Initially, I was dreading over an hour of breakbeats and scratching, but in thinking of this LP as a documentary rather than an artistic statement I think I enjoyed it a bit more. DJing is such a masterful and underappreciated art, and having a collection of solid mixes is a great introduction and documentation of a niche genre. That being said, I was feeling the effects of the performance being flattened down to a 2D representation – the visual aspect of watching DJs move the faders and scratch with seemingly inhuman skill is what (to me) makes this kind of music so fun, so I fully understand if people finish this LP and feel burnt out and exhausted.
Have we gotten any break type albums on this list?? Pretty wild that the variety only comes from the people listening to this list. This was a good album that had some great beats and songs. It did feel basic in some respects but I think that's just because it's from 1998 so it get's a pass. Now, it is British but I think that enhances this to see that those blokes were attempting some break work too. There is a song from Jet Set Radio Future by the Latch Brothers called "" that starts with them explaining "Four elements: There's DJ'ing, there's Breaking, there's Graffiti, and then there's the MC". We hear a similar list on Breaker Beat's Pt 1 as the announcer advises "there will be breaking, rapping, breaking, scratching, breaking, and graffiti" I thought it was pretty cool they counted all four of those elements, though I didn't hear as much of the MC on this album, lots of samples and call outs. Either way, I'm glad this one was on here!
This was someone’s favorite album?!? Uhm alright, maybe they’re were a 90s break dancer. Idk but this album was pretty dated and overall lame. Just felt like a compilation of a bunch of beats with words thrown in the background. Listening once was tough. 2.9/10
If you're really good at something that is really bad, does that make you the best or the worst? Freestylers are really good at making awful music. Rating: 1.5 Playlist track: Date listened: 05/12/24
I toggled between like and love throughout this one.
After the bland rockism yesterday, this album of breaks that celebrated the rich history of the scene (they probably use every famous breakbeat over the course of this album) while pushing things forward was exactly the shot in the arm and dancing shoes I needed. Absolutely slaps.
LOL imagine sitting through this dynamic and varied album and deciding it’s drum and bass. There are more dance genres than EDM and dubstep, America. Cool choice OP, I was dubious about this coz generally dance albums can get boring and repetitive after half an hour or so, so I didn’t think I’d be able to mark this highly. But no, I’d slept on Freestylers. Nice breakbeat, dub, D&B, turntablisum, electro and it even sounds like they had a cameo from Five at one point? I probably should give it a 4, but fuck the haters - 5.
Didn't hate it, some lovely bass lines
Breakbeat, big beat, electronic. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
90s hip hop and a worthwhile listen
This album was a lot of fun and full of nostalgia. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Very cool.
fffreeestylers... rock the microphone... Nope, wrong group. A few bad reviews for this one, but why so harsh. It's a good album for the genre it's in, I think perhaps underrated. It is, however, from the 90s and is therefore not so relevant now. Should it be on the list? I think that's objective, but I don't see why not. There are some hard beats, some great jams and some smooth raps. Maybe it's a little too long, but I liked it. I won't be going back frequently or anything, but it's still good. It did motivate me to pull out some more from the genre and dig into the 90s drum and bass movement. "Scratch 22 (Jay-Rock's Theme)" is a great track with some fun samples in there, especially Pulp Fiction. "Ruffneck" is good too.
An unheard-of British breakbeat crew from the tail-end of the 20th century! Yes, please. Why do I hear KRS-One on every single track?
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Freestyle noize, Don’t stop
Mix of big beat and techno. Well produced. Some mc/vocals of straight forward hip hop and ragga/dancehall influence. Nothing more groundbreaking than Cold Cut did several years previously.
Kinda stuck in its immediate past.
fun 90s brit club music sounds like a ps1 racing game
These breakbeat albums always are so long but they go by fast. Nothing to dislike here or overly like for me
This was pretty fun, if of a very specific era in time. Enjoyed this more than I expected to, although it really could have been shorter. Runs a bit far afield stylistically, but the beats pull it all together nicely. Fave Songs: Don't Stop, Drop the Boom, We Rock Hard, The Darkside, Breaker Beats
Wasn’t really thinking I needed to listen to more of this kind of thing, but I did really dig the grooves and it was fun to have on - great background music for doing other things. It was a little long and a little more of this than I need, and I’m probably not going to sit down and listen to it again, but there was some fun stuff to enjoy here.
Sounds similar to the various electronic/dance albums that we had on the list. There's a fun blend of voices and styles represented on here, and a lot of samples that I recognize. Pretty good album. This is only day two of the user picks, but I'm looking forward to finding the review for each album from the person that added it, that's my best bet at understanding inclusions like these (and more insight than we got for the albums on the actual list, though maybe that's in the book). Favorite tracks: Scratch 22, Drop the Boom, Don't Stop, B-Boy Stance. Album art: Pretty shitty if I'm being honest, looks like a flyer made by an afterschool "don't do drugs" PSA program. 3.5/5
I think I’m starting to become nostalgic for the main list because usually when I would get a breakbeat electronica album like this I’d get a sense of unease but now the memories of actually listening to them aren’t as bad to me, even tho I know I was mostly annoyed as I listened (anything by the prodigy is excepted from these feelings). This one was whatever, not terrible not something I’d listen to again and I’ve already forgotten most of the specifics of it. I remember a lot of it being very beastie boys sounding.
A style i almost universally detest, but i found myself surprised that it wasn't nearly as cliched as much of the rest in the genre. Though i wouldn't want to listen to it again, i'll give it recognition as a potentially high water mark in the genre.
Wow!! So much energy in this. Wish I hadn't had that Mountain Dew earlier. Keeping me warm on this cold day, though. That's for sure.
Hell yeah we are
Evokes a very specific time and place. A fun party vibe and nice example of this kind of music. 3.5
OMG!! This is like as retro as you can get! Only this is 1998 and already 27 years old. Maybe we could get a Retro-retro band referencing this album? I do like it despite it's faults...
Pretty solid background music. Nice beats, just suffers as all electronic music does by having way too long of a runtime. Favorite songs: Ruffneck, Don't Stop, Freestyle Noize, Dancehall Vibes, We Rock Hard, Here We Go, Breaker Beats (Pts. 1 & 2) Least favorite songs: Scratch 22 (Jay-Rock's Theme) 3/5
hauska
Very good beat, but too repetitive for my taste, and the same rhythmic position can get tiring. But in general the tracks hold up well.
Eh, no thanks. 2 stars.
I despise this era of electronic lol. But this one wasn't terrible, though very, very silly 3 2
There were some nice, a little more old-school hip-hop tracks, but overall this album didn't age all that well.
The whole is a bit monotonous. It was okay to be played as background music
Pretty basic
At the time I was impressed, but not enough great songs (like "B-Boy Stance", "Ruffneck", "Here We Go")
Very much of its era - if you don't like 90s dance electronica this will not suddenly change your mind
Didn’t hate this, but just got A bit long and repetitive
I enjoyed the street fighter reference tho
Not the music for me. Not sure what made this one stand out for the person who chose it, there must be a story behind it.
I think there is better dance music out there
Yea, not for me.
Just another electronic album for the list. Maybe it's my fault since it's far from the type of music I enjoy listening to, but the only thing I liked here were the samples from old video games.
I was going to totally diss this as a waste of time...I can't figure out though whether they are using very well known samples or whether their music is the source for some very well known samples. Either way, it's too much.
Not for me but I cannot deny the music.
Unfortunately not for me.
A very 90s breakbeat album through and through. The two tracks with Navigator, Ruffneck and Warning, I already knew. But after a couple of full listens, the rest of the album doesn’t quite deliver. Even within the genre (which I have a soft spot for for some reason) it feels more like a decent time capsule than a standout release. Fun, but not essential.
Hip-hop que suena a ochentero. Sin nada nuevo que aportar. Temas muy parecidos entre sí. No excesivamente reivindicativo. Un tanto monótonos los ritmos
Too long would have been a solid 3/5 but jus keeps going
Clubbing, dancing, working out, gaming, househld chores – this is near perfect music for many activities one rather assiduously assays to avoid. They seem to be having fun and it's well product so s below-average in terms of obnoxiousness when compared to other synthetic-electronic-dance music-big beat entrie; thus, it could comfortably replace several of the disposable records of similar ilk on list proper (looking at you Basement Jaxx, Shamen, Prodigy and Les Rhytmes Digitales, among others). Not terrible, just not one's thing.
Yeah, even in a genre heavily relying on samples, ripping off Public Enemy for the opener and Afrika Bambaata / Kraftwerk for the third track is not exactly the best look if you don't want to appear as 100% derivative. Sure, Sol Sonic Force are themselves invited later, but in that context, that feels a little like redundancy. The cut with Definition Of Sound is sort of fun -- I remember liking those two endearing dudes back in the day... Moody "The Darkside" reminds me of the sort of music I could hear when I visited London and went from one record shop to a thrift store in Camden Town, during the late nineties / early noughts. "Breakers Beat pt.1" is kinda cool as well. And beyond its ragga featuring, "B-Boy Stance" already felt *very* old school in 1998. So imagine now. Speaking of raggamuffin, the "toasters" featuring in this album go from efficient (Navigator on "Ruffneck") to ham-fisted (Tenor Fly on "Dancehall Vibes", an underwhelming track inexplicably placed in the second slot). In other (not so fresh) news, 'big beat' was hot in 1998, and Freestylers dig further into it during the well-cooked (yet ultimately generic) "Feel The Panic". "Hold Up Your Hands" feels like the party goes on until late at night with its reggae dub lively beats and sha-na-na shenanigans. As for closer "Warning", it mixes a sped-up Van Halen sample with drum'n'bass programming, because... why not? (I admit the thing works). To put it in a nutshell, from 2025's vantage point, this record kind of smells like leftovers from a fish and chips bought the day before at some joint -- food that may or may not have spent enough time in the fridge so as to be consumed the next day. I like fish and chips so I would probably eat the thing. But I can also understand people who would raise a eyebrow. File it under: "you had to be there at the time to get it". --- 2/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 7/10 for more general purposes: 5 + 2 ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ----- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 50 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 66 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 120 (including this one) --- Hey, Émile. Tu as déjà dû voir ma dernière réponse sous la review de *Young, Loud And Snotty* des Dead Boys ! J'essaie d'écrire la mienne bientôt
We Rock Hard doesn't so much rock hard as go on for fucking ages and sound really dated. It's a mix of old school break beats with very dated stylings, some of it is alright but most of it sucks. A low 2.
Fanns väl någon låt som dög men det mesta var skräp.
Don’t get it.
What evil conniving supervillain submits another hour long British electronic album from the 90s that three construction workers from London have heard about. You are stealing Robert Dimery's thunder. Feels like being trapped in the time loop dimension for eighty millennia. Did not enjoy. 1/5.
The attempted street cred of adding featured artists doesn’t save the cacophonous samples and shouting from injuring my ears.